I am looking for some guidance from the senior members on the AM board regarding a potential purchase of a 2006 AM DB9 with manual transmission. Are there any glaring issue with MY06 for DB9 that I need to worry about? I have been searching for a Vantage but my wife insist that I get a 4 seater as oppose to a 2 seater. From my searches thus far, there are very few manual DB9 available. Are the cost of maintaining a DB9 the same as a V8 Vantage? Are there any must have option I should look for or inquire about? Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from everyone here.

 

For all intents and purposes the DB9 is a two seater as well.

 

I have 2009 DB9, I think (not sure) Vantage has that clutch which may need replacement and it could be expansive.

SO far I have been able to do Oil change, rear differential fluid change, brake fluid flush, brake pad change by my self.

spent 1400 $$$ on AC malfunction, but seems like that is extremely rare problem, AM tech had never seen this problem before.

depending on size of passenger you might be able to use rear 2 seats in DB9. looking at you name I guess you are born in 1973 and probably have small kids. My wife is not that tall, so she sits in front passenger seat (pulled forward) and in passenger side rear seat my 9 year old can sit. With me in driver seat, my 4 year old barely fits in rear driver side seat, but works if I move seat bit forward.

When I was buying DB9 I was advised to buy 2009 or beyond due to design change and something about transmission, other problems being better sorted out.

Good luck.

 

Manual DB9 is soooo desirable in my opinion! DB9 maintenance costs are slightly more - more oil capacity, more coil packs etc. but not drastically so.

I know there was an oil dipstick change at some point in production, you should check to see whether the 2006 has the new dipstick fitted or not.

 

Great info... thank you so much. I would love to get a 2009 or later model. Unfortunately - my wallet is not deep enough...

If I were to get a DB9... MY2006 is probably the only year that is in my price range.

 

Hate to be harsh but it sounds like you are really pushing the "affordable" edge.

Why not go more practical for another couple of years and then buy a newer, better Aston Martin with some dedicated savings?

The '06 is good but it is not a 4 seat car. And maintenance is not low cost. While it is a reliable car, it will be coming close to 10 years old and the big costs are coming soon. Why saddle yourself with that?

Get a pre-owned (off lease) BMW. Wait 2-3 years. Then sell the BMW and combine the proceeds with your savings and you will be ready to get into an '09 or newer Aston. Get a Rapide if you need 4 seats.

 

Exactly. A DB9 is NOT a 4 seater, especially for average Americans. If you are a tiny person (and so's your wife) and you have children with no legs, then they might fit.

 

Yes, but in 2-3 years an '09 will be as old as an '06 is today

Life is short. Scratch the itch.

 

"and I'm going to be 40, in 8 years"

 

This was just recently listed at Los Gatos AM...it's hard to believe the mileage!

http://www.losgatosluxcars.com/Certi...CA/vd/21162968

The '09 is likely out of your budget, but they also have an '07 manual with 24k miles and it has CPO status...

http://www.losgatosluxcars.com/Certi...CA/vd/19265455

Sorry to muddy the waters...

 

My 2009 DB9 back seat:

 

My 05 DB9 has been dead reliable so far during my 2 year ownership. I did have some "updates" performed to enhance future reliability, but I have had to do nothing but fluid changes to it so far (knock on wood). My car has 16k miles and it has been a blast so far. Things to look out for on early builds are three major things -- 1. Make sure the dipstick has been updated. 2. The grease AM used on the NAV display motor gear will have a chemical reaction with the plastic and it will eventually break (update kit is available). 3. Transmission coolers lines will leak because AM used two different metals on the fittings and again another chemical reaction will take place.

The transmission coolers on most early models were repaired under warranty so I doubt you will see any still leaking but if you did it would be painfully obvious. The NAV display gear was a surprisingly easy do it yourself project as long as you take your time and if I remember right the update kit was only $15 from my local dealer and included instructions.

I would not be worried about buying an early DB9 as long as the car has a good service history and the above issues have been taken care of. Happy Hunting.

 

Dan -

Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Kiet

 

No problem! I actually think the maintenance costs on a DB9 are cheaper than a Vantage. A friend of mine who has a Vantage, says his car requires this crazy expensive Castrol oil at $15-$20 per quart. Thankfully, the DB9 calls for Mobil 0w40 that I can pick up at the local Wal-Mart in a 5 quart jug for $25. A oil and filter change runs me about $110 where as the Vantage is about double that. I obviously do my own work and the car is actually quite easy to work on for the most part -- just time consuming (belly pan).

 

For comparison's sake:

The oil for the V8 Vantage is the same stuff used by BMW for their M cars, runs about $14/qt. But you need ten of them! A full DIY oil change for a V8V is less than $200 - expensive but it's only once a year or every 10k miles.

I do most of my own maintenance on my V8 Vantage and it's considerably less than through the dealership (obviously). Not unreasonable, though. I just changed my own transmission gear oil for less than $60 and it only took an hour and a half (it was my first time doing the job on this kind of car, too).